St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), priest and doctor of the Church

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274), 

priest and doctor of the Church           

Patron of the University of Santo Tomás

Patron of the UST Faculty of Sacred Theology

Feast Day: January 28

Born in 1225, Thomas of Aquino was the youngest son of Landulph and Theodora who both belonged to noble families. With the ambition of nominating him as abbot one day, his parents entrusted him to the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Monte Cassino in 1231. When he finished his basic education, he was taught natural philosophy and most probably the metaphysics of Aristotle. Impressed with the Dominicans’ zeal for soul and evangelical poverty, he entered the Order of Preachers in 1243. But before that, he was seized by his soldier brothers who brought him back to their castle of San Giovanni, where he was held a captive for a year or two. He was besieged with threats, and even sensual temptation to make him relinquish his purpose. Finally, the family yielded and the Order sent Thomas to Paris to study under Albertus Magnus.

In 1256, Thomas earned the title ‘magister in sacra pagina’, which is roughly equivalent to a professor in Theology. After completing his education, he devoted himself to a life of traveling, writing, teaching, public speaking and preaching. Religious institutions and universities alike yearned to benefit from his God-given wisdom. He devoted his life to reconcile the relationship between theology (faith) and philosophy (reason), which was quite impossible at that time. Combining traditional principles of theology with modern philosophical thought, he touched upon the questions and struggles of medieval intellectuals, church authorities and peoples from all walks of life. He died on 7 March 1274, and was canonized in 1323.

The Faculties of Sacred Theology and Philosophy are as old as the University of Santo Tomas itself, which was founded in 1611. The Ecclesiastical Faculties have always been considered as integral components of the University, which Pope Leo XII proclaimed as Pontifical University in 1902 through the Constitution Quae Mari Sinico. Pope Pius XII, meanwhile, declared UST as ‘the Catholic University of the Philippines’ in 1947. As a theologian, Thomas wrote the Summa Theologiae and the Summa contra Gentiles for the classical systematization of Theology. He also wrote some of the most beautiful Eucharistic hymns such as Pange Lingua and Panis Angelicus. In 1880, St. Thomas Aquinas was declared patron of all Catholic educational establishments.

Sources: 
O’Meara OP, Franklin Thomas, Thomas Aquinas Theologian, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, 1997.
Healy, Nicholas, Thomas Aquinas Theologian of the Christian Life, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Hants, England, 2003.